STORRS — Arrival doesn't come in an exhibition game. Reputations are not made in such affairs. Cult status? Different story entirely.

UConn fans had little idea of what freshman center Amida Brimah could do before last Wednesday's victory against Southern Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion. But he was barely in the game for a minute when suddenly fans began chanting his name.

It's not an arrival, but Brimah is on the tarmac approaching the gate already.

"When we first saw him in the gym, he was the best player," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. "He had the best passion out of everybody. He plays with passion, energy and effort."

Brimah's "welcome" moment came quickly when he took a lob pass from fellow newcomer Lasan Kromah and threw down a thunderous dunk. It happened because Brimah, at 7-feet, 217 pounds, was ahead of the pack on the fast break.

Rare is the time when a big man is the lead guy on a break. Brimah was, not content to simply trail the play but determined to be the first guy down the floor. For a man his size, he runs well and efficiently, which will help him fit nicely into UConn's style of play.

Soon after the dunk, Brimah swatted away a Southern shot. Though he was called for a foul on the play, Brimah went on to block five shots. He showed the shot-blocking instincts of a much older, much more seasoned player and none of that awkward ranginess one might expect from a young 7-footer who has been playing basketball for just four years.

UConn players and coaches have raved about him since his arrival. Evidence of why was provided Wednesday night.

"That guy's amazing," forward DeAndre Daniels said. "He doesn't allow anybody to lay the ball up easy in the paint. He blocks everything, he runs hard. He's going to be a great player."

Since Hasheem Thabeet left UConn following the 2009 run to the Final Four, the Huskies haven't had much of an interior defensive presence. For years the Huskies, installed as the No. 18 team in the Associated Press preseason poll, led the NCAA in blocked shots, usually by a large margin, thanks to the likes of Thabeet and Emeka Okafor. They might not attain those lofty numbers simply with Brimah, but they appear to have somebody who can be a deterrent to opponents who want to challenge the middle.

Perhaps the most surprising things about Brimah had nothing to do with his shot blocking. Most already knew the native of Ghana who played high school ball in Florida could swat some shots. That reputation preceded him. What most didn't know was how hard Brimah works to get up and down the floor and how polished his offensive game is relative to his experience.

Brimah took five shots Wednesday and hit four of them to score eight points. Most were dunks, of course, but Brimah showed a move or two in getting himself decent looks.

"He is very, very long and he is hard to shoot over," Ollie said. "He's got a pretty nice jump-hook down there, too. He's not as raw as a lot of people say."

He is, however, extremely quiet. Brimah didn't have much to say afterward despite having a rather loud 17 minutes on the court.

"I run hard all the time," Brimah said. "Shot blocking, that's what I do."

There was little reason to expound on those things. Everybody who was there saw them and liked what they saw well enough to chant his name.

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